Swimming prohibited at Lake Mendocino

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday that due to the large number of dead fish found at Lake Mendocino in recent days, swimming is now prohibited at the lake until tests on the fish are completed.

Samples of the dead fish, hundreds of carp only, were sent to both the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.C. Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital in an attempt to determine what caused the massive die-off.

USACE spokesman Ryan McClymont said his office believes the culprit may be the Koi herpes virus, which he said would only affect carp and not other fish or humans. Reached Thursday afternoon, McClymont said his office had not yet received the results of the tests performed on the fish and the lake water.

In the meantime, in the interest of public safety, the USACE is prohibiting swimming until tests results can confirm that theory, declaring that "humans and pets should not eat or handle sick-looking, dead or dying fish, and should not swim, fish or recreate near sick-looking, dead or dying fish."

Boating is still allowed at the lake, and the South Boat Ramp is open. The North Boat Ramp remains closed.